A Trip After School
by Daughterof8
Summary: What happens when Jim picks Trixie up from school one day?


A/N: Okay, so is my first true attempt at fanfic, and I'm really excited to post something that's an actual story, not a songfic, but I'm also quite nervous. Please let me know what you think of it, and thanks for reading!

I have to be sure to thank one of my good friends for editing this even though she has no idea who these characters are! Thanks Lilly!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or places - they all belong to Random House!

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Seventeen-year-old Trixie Belden hurriedly stuffed her books into her locker, hoping that she wouldn't miss the bus home. If she did, she would have to call someone like her parents to come pick her up, and Trixie hated it when she had to do that.

"Trixie! Hurry up! You're going to miss the bus!" Madeleine Wheeler, aka Honey, called down the halls to her best friend.

"I know, I know," Trixie replied, rummaging around in her locker, trying to find her Bob-White jacket. "I just need my jacket, and then I'll be out there."

"Well, you'd better find that jacket pronto, because there are only a couple of kids left who have to get on," Honey told her.

"Okay…you just hurry up and get on it, Hon. I wouldn't want you to miss the bus, too."

"Nuh-uh. If you miss the bus, then I'm missing the bus," Honey insisted.

"But that's – aha! Found it! Looks like we won't be missing the bus after all," Trixie said triumphantly, holding up her jacket. "Now, come on!" She dashed through the hall and out the door with Honey right behind her.

"Nooo," Trixie cried as she spotted the bus doors closing. She put on a burst of speed and skidded to a stop right in front of the doors. "We need to get on this bus!"

"Correction: I need to get on this bus. It looks like someone is waiting to give you a ride home," Honey said, her hazel eyes twinkling.

"Huh?" Trixie glanced around the school parking lot until her eyes landed on a redhead leaning against a truck. Her bright blue eyes lit up. "What's Jim doing here? And what do you mean, you still have to get on the bus? I'm sure Jim will give us both a ride."

"No, I can take the bus," Honey insisted. "We don't want Di to be lonely."

Trixie hesitated. "But then maybe I should take the bus, too…"

"No," Honey said firmly. "You can get a ride with Jim." She stepped onto the bus stairs. "See you later, Trix."

Trixie's jaw went up and down, but nothing came out of it. The bus pulled away, leaving her standing in the dust, bewildered. "What just happened?"

"I think your best friend just ditched you," a husky voice said behind her. Trixie spun around and nearly screamed. "Jim! How'd you get over here? And why are you here? Shouldn't you be in New York? And what's this about Honey ditching me?"

Jim chuckled. "Calm down, Shamus. I walked over here, I decided to come to Sleepyside because I was missing everybody, and Honey did exactly what I said – she got on the bus and told the bus driver to pull away, leaving you in the dust." He shrugged. "She ditched you."

"Why?" Trixie asked, still trying to figure out why her normally tactful and sweet friend would just leave her standing there.

"I don't know…maybe because I asked her to?" Jim offered sheepishly.

"What? You asked her to ditch me? Why?"

"Come on, Shamus. I'll give you a ride," Jim said, ignoring her questions. He strode over to his SUV, grabbing Trixie's hand and bringing her with him. He brought her to the passenger side and helped her get in, and then went around and got in himself. "And hey, why aren't you three using the Bob-White station wagon? Or Brian's jalopy?"

"The station wagon needs some repairs. It's been having some trouble starting in the mornings. And the jalopy…well, none of us like driving it very much," Trixie admitted.

"But isn't it better than taking the bus?"

"Um…there's also the part where Brian threatened to make sure we'd be grounded if we ever drove it again without asking him first."

Jim glanced at her in amusement before turning his eyes to the road. "What did you guys do?"

Trixie coughed. "Nothing much. How about you ask Brian about it? If he wants to tell you, he can. Otherwise, he said not to tell anyone"

"I think I will ask him. Now I'm curious."

Trixie smirked. "Now you know how I feel." She paused, and then asked, "Why are you here, Jim? I talked to Brian and Mart last night, and they said nothing about coming home this weekend."

Jim winked at her. "Maybe it was because we wanted it to be a surprise?"

"So they did come with you? Where are they?"

"Dan came home too, and they're at your house. I dropped them off there, and then drove over here to get you from school." Jim stopped at a red light.

"Why didn't you bring Honey and Di home, too? They both could have used a ride."

"I asked them if they would mind if they took the bus. They said they didn't."

"Wait," Trixie replied slowly. "So they knew you were coming home?"

"No. I talked to them while you were trying to find your jacket and books in your locker," Jim answered. The light turned green and Jim drove forward.

"Oh." Trixie glanced out the window, and then did a double take. "Stop, Jim. This isn't the way to Crabapple Farm," she said confusedly. "We're not supposed to be heading downtown."

"I never said I was giving you a ride home, did I?" Jim asked slyly. "I just said I was giving you a ride."

Trixie's eyes narrowed. "What are you up to, Frayne?"

"Whatever do you mean, Belden?"

"I mean, what are we doing," Trixie glanced out the window again, "stopping at Wimpy's?"

Jim shrugged. "I thought we could grab a bite to eat."

"But why? We could have just gotten something to eat at the Farm or Manor House."

Jim hesitated, and then said, "Because I wanted to be alone with you for a little while before seeing the other Bob-Whites."

Trixie sat quietly for a moment, pondering what he had just said. _Was it possible that he liked me in that way? Gleeps, that would be swell! But maybe I'm reading into things that aren't there. I would hate to do that. Maybe…maybe he just wanted each person to find out gradually that they were back. No, that doesn't make sense. Well, whatever the case, I'm not looking into it._ She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that he was watching her. _Or, at least, I won't look into it too much,_ she amended silently.

Jim was sitting there, watching her and waiting for her response. He could feel his heart in his chest, and as he bit his tongue he tasted blood. He shifted in his seat and tried to think of something to say, since it appeared that Trixie wasn't going to, but Trixie beat him to the punch.

"I don't blame you," she said flippantly. She took a deep breath before saying, "The Bob-Whites can be a bit overbearing at times. But I'm glad we can be together for a bit, too." She licked her lips and looked out the window, unsure if she had said too much.

Jim couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. "That's good, Trix. Real good." He glanced at the diner they were parked in front of. "Should we go in? I don't know about you, but I'm famished."

Trixie rolled her eyes as she got out of the car, grateful for the awkward moment to have passed. "How could you possibly be famished, _Mart_? Didn't you eat lunch?"

Jim grinned sheepishly. "I ate lunch, but it was a small lunch."

"If you say so." The two walked into the diner, close together but not quite touching anywhere. They waved to Mike, and he called to them, "I'll be with you guys in a sec."

They headed toward their favorite booth, and Jim slid in with Trixie across from him. "So what have you been up to? Any new mysteries?" Jim asked.

Trixie rolled her eyes. "You and the other male Bob-Whites are all the same. That is always the first question I'm asked, no matter who I'm talking to."

_I hope she only meant that we're the same in that respect_, Jim thought to himself. _I would hate if she thought of me like another brother._ Out loud he said, "That's just because you seem to be a mystery magnet, and we don't want to be left out of anything."

"Yeah, well, what if I once said I was working on a mystery?" Trixie challenged. "Would you four come racing home?"

Jim paused before answering. "Weeell…it would depend on the mystery."

Trixie sniffed and tossed her curls. "I highly doubt that you would. Your parents would all be upset if you missed school, not to mention the fact that we girls would be very disgusted with you all."

Jim's eyes twinkled. "Are you sure about that? You girls always enjoy it when we come home."

"Sure, if it's just for a friendly visit. Not if you want to protect us and tell us to be careful."

"We only do that because we don't want to see you hurt. And you have to admit, you do have a knack for getting into trouble."

Trixie narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Maybe we do, but we always manage to get out of it, don't we?"

Before Jim could answer, Mike came over to their booth. "Sorry for the wait, guys. Is it just the two of you?"

Trixie still looked annoyed, so Jim answered. "Yep. The others are all at home."

"Home, as in college?" Mike questioned. "Or home, as in their respective houses in Sleepyside?"

"Sleepyside," Trixie replied. "The boys came home for a surprise visit." Mike noticed that she avoided looking at Jim.

"Well, that's swell. Will it be the usual, then?"

Jim hesitated. "We're not here for a full meal, Mike. Does a cone of vanilla ice cream sound okay, Trix?"

"Yeah, that's fine," she agreed, staring out the window.

"Okay. I'll be back with your cones in a bit." Mike turned and left the table.

Jim looked at Trixie, whose gaze didn't waver from the window. "Trixie?"

She pressed her lips together. "Yes?"

"Come on, don't be mad at me, Trix," Jim pleaded. "I didn't mean to make you mad. It just came out wrong."

Trixie turned to face him. "How could that have possibly come out wrong? The meaning was clear: you boys obviously don't care about our mysteries."

"No! No, that's not what I meant. I was just making a statement, and it sounded condescending. Please forgive me."

She looked at him levelly. "But you guys don't like it when we get involved with mysteries. It's not my fault that I seem to attract them!"

Jim caught her hand across the table. "No, it's not your fault. And even though we hate the fact that you girls seem to get in trouble whenever you're on the trail of a mystery, it is exciting trying to solve them." He paused. "Sometimes."

Trixie's eyes darted to the window again. "So you do care about our mysteries?"

"Of course we do!" Jim chewed on his lip, and then said, "We care about them because they matter to you and Honey. We care about anything that matters to you. And Honey and Di."

Trixie wished that he was saying that he, only he, cared about what mattered to her, instead of saying that the group of boys cared about her._ But I should know better than to wish for things like that anymore,_ she thought. _Any wishes along those lines never come true. But, oh, it would be so nice…_

"Trix?" Jim inquired when she didn't answer. "What's the matter?"

She looked at him, and nearly lost herself in his concerned emerald green eyes. "What? Oh, um…nothing. Nothing's wrong."

Jim eyed her, and decided to let it go. "So what have you been up to? You never answered my question before."

"I guess I didn't. Well, nothing new is going on. At least not according to me. If you asked Honey or Di you'd probably get a different answer."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"They're all excited about a dance tomorrow night," Trixie said disgustedly. "Somehow they managed to talk me into going with them."

Jim's heart nearly stopped. She was going to a dance? "Who's your date?"

"Nobody. We decided we didn't want to go with dates. The three of us are going as a group." She didn't add that the main reason the girls didn't want to go with dates was because they had feelings for boys whom they had thought wouldn't be in Sleepyside that weekend.

"Oh?" _Hmm,_ Jim reasoned, _maybe this could work in our favor. I wonder if this was the reason that Brian's mom hinted at us coming home this weekend when he and Mart talked to her on Tuesday._

"Yeah. Like I said, I'm not too excited. They're making me wear a dress."

"I'm sure that you'll look beautiful in it," Jim said earnestly.

Trixie blushed. "I doubt it. I guarantee that Honey and Di will look good in their dresses, but me?" Trixie snorted. "Yeah, right."

"No, come on, Trix. You look just as good as they do in a dress."

Trixie turned away. "If you say so."

"Would I ever lie to you?"

"No," Trixie was quick to say.

"Then believe me when I say that you'll look beautiful in a dress."

Trixie bit her lip. "Okay," she murmured. Before she could say anything else, Mike returned with two cones of ice cream. "Here you go, guys. Enjoy."

As Mike walked away, Trixie took a lick of her cone and asked, "So do you have any plans for this weekend?"

Jim shook his head. "Nope. We didn't have time to plan anything since it was a spur of the moment decision to come home. Why?"

Trixie shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we could plan something for Sunday. Like maybe have a picnic at the lake, since it's supposed to be sunny this weekend."

Jim took a bite out of his cone, and after swallowing he said, "That sounds fun. Couldn't we do that tomorrow?"

Trixie shook her blonde curls emphatically, while taking another bite out of her ice cream cone. "Unfortunately, no. I'll have chores that have to be done in the morning, and Honey and Di ordered me to leave tomorrow afternoon open. I think we're going to spend the afternoon experimenting with hair and makeup," she groaned.

Jim looked at her with sympathy. "That's too bad. What time does the dance start?"

Trixie frowned. "I think they said it was really early, like at five or six or something. We'll be lucky if we can squeeze in supper beforehand."

Jim's mind was working a mile a minute. "Say, Trix," he started. Then he changed his mind and said something else. "I'll be right back. Can you watch my cone?"

"Sure, of course, Jim," Trixie said, looking at him quizzically.

"Thanks." Jim got up and made a beeline to the restrooms. Once he was in them, he pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number. "Hey, Brian. Can you talk for a sec?"

"Of course," Brian immediately answered. "Is something wrong? Is Trixie okay?"

"She's fine. _I'm _fine, thanks for asking."

"Sorry. What's up? Aren't you with Trixie?"

"Yeah, well, no, I'm in the bathroom right now."

"She's with you in the bathroom?" Brian exclaimed.

"No! She's in the booth right now. Brian, did you know the girls are going to a dance tomorrow night?" Jim inquired.

"No."

"Well, they are."

"With dates?"

"No."

"Then why are they going?"

"I don't know. All Trixie would say is that Honey and Di talked her into it and that they're spending tomorrow afternoon primping."

Brian coughed. "Trixie is?"

"Yeah," Jim said dryly. "She was ordered to leave tomorrow afternoon open."

"When does the dance start tomorrow?"

"Five or six."

"You mean they're going to be busy all day tomorrow? What are we guys going to do?"

"Well…I have an idea."

"Let's hear it."

Five minutes later Jim was heading back to the booth, feeling very pleased with himself.

"Hey, Jim." Trixie looked at him. "You look like the cat that ate the canary. What gives?"

"Oh, nothing."

"No, it's something," Trixie insisted. "Why were you sliding your phone into your pocket when you walked out?"

_Drat,_ Jim thought. _She doesn't miss anything._ "Because, uh, I received a, um, phone call."

"From who?"

"Uhh…it was a wrong number."

"Oh." Trixie wasn't fully convinced, but she decided to let it go for the time being. "Jim, sorry, but your cone started to melt. It's kind of a mess."

"It's okay." Jim took the cone from her and examined it. "It's still good." To prove it he took a bite out of it.

Trixie took another bite of her cone as well. "So what do you think you boys will be doing tomorrow? I'll be busy with chores, Di said that she has to babysit her siblings, and I think Honey said that she had to go do things in town. Won't you be bored stiff?"

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find things to do," Jim said casually. Too casually, Trixie thought.

"Like what?" Trixie asked slowly, her mind slowly putting the pieces together._ Let's see, I was talking about the dance…Jim kind of had a funny look in his eyes when he asked about our dates…then he suddenly got up and went into the restroom…he was in there for a little while…and then he slipped his phone in his pocket with a huge grin on his face. Wait a second – I bet I know who he called!_

"Oh, I don't know. Dan will probably chop wood. Or maybe the four of us could take the horses out. Yeah, we'll probably do that," Jim replied.

"You called Brian when you were in the bathroom, didn't you," she blurted out. It was a statement, not a question.

Jim blinked, clearly surprised. "Uh, well…how did you figure it out?"

"Because right before–" Trixie stopped abruptly. What if she was wrong? What if he had just called Brian to ask him a simple question? Or what if he hadn't called Brian at all? Then she would feel awful, not to mention completely embarrassed.

"Trix? Right before what?" Jim asked.

"Um." Trixie cleared her throat, warring with herself. She swallowed. "Because right before you called we were talking about the dance."

"So how do you figure I was calling Brian about it?" Jim asked carefully. "I could have called anybody."

"Because…well…you wouldn't call Mart or Dan about it…and…"

"What about your mom, or your dad, or Di, or Honey?"

Trixie licked her lips, finally just resolving to spit it out. She stared at the table while she spoke. "Because when I said we didn't have dates your face kind of lit up, and then you immediately left and then you put your phone in your pocket and then you looked really happy and the only thing that makes sense is that you're planning on surprising us girls by going to the dance with us and the only one that you would call about that is Brian."

Jim sat back in the booth, letting out a sigh. "I guess I just can't fool you, can I."

Trixie let out her own breath. "So I'm right?"

Jim looked at her fondly. "Of course you are. I – we – Brian and I were going to surprise you guys. But I guess it won't be much of a surprise anymore."

Trixie let out a giggle. "You really need to work on your poker face, Frayne. It was because of at least three different expressions on your face that I figured it out."

"Well, everyone knows that I'm no good at poker," Jim joked.

"True," Trixie answered. She glanced at her watch. "Uh, Jim, I hate to say it, but we should probably be getting back. Moms will be missing me."

"Ah, no she won't," Jim replied.

"She won't? No, I'm pretty sure she will. I was supposed to watch Bobby." She grimaced. "I sort of forgot about that until now."

Jim's green eyes twinkled. "It's fine, Trix. Brian said that he and Mart are keeping an eye on him."

"They are?" Trixie brightened. "Great!"

"Yeah. It is," Jim said softly. His intense gaze made Trixie feel slightly uncomfortable, and she hastened to change the subject.

"So was Mart in on the plan to meet us at the dance tomorrow?" Trixie asked. "I mean, just you and Brian would seem kind of weird."

Jim shrugged. "I think Brian was going to ask him about it."

"What were you going to actually do?" Trixie asked curiously. "Were you going to meet us there? Or surprise us on the doorstep or something? Or," Trixie grinned mischievously, "rent a limo?"

"Rent a limo?" Jim asked in disbelief. "No way. I don't know about anything else though – to be honest, I was just excited about the idea of going. I didn't care about the little details."

"Why were you excited about going? It's just a high school dance."

"Because I was – am – excited about dancing an evening away with you in my arms," Jim said without thinking.

Trixie froze. Her heart started thudding wildly. _Did he just say what I think he said?_ "Um…sorry, what?"

Jim reddened as he realized what he had inadvertently said. However, there was no going back now. He took a deep breath. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow night because I'll be spending it with you in my arms. At least, most of it. I hope?"

Trixie's heart stopped. _Oh my gosh, this has got to be the best dream ever. I don't want to ever wake up._ Trixie met his clear green gaze steadily. "I hope so too, Jim."

Jim couldn't stop a grin from creeping over his face. "You mean it, Trix?" He reached across the table and grabbed her hand.

Her sapphire blue eyes sparkled. "Of course, Jim." She popped the last bite of her cone in her mouth and lowered her gaze. "I always mean things like that."

Her action caused Jim to zero in on her lips. They looked so soft and kissable…_I wonder if anyone has ever kissed them?_ He studied them, imagining the feel of her lips against his. Heck, he was imagining the feel of her _body_ against his.

"Uh, Jim?" Trixie looked up to see him looking at her with a different look in his eyes. She swallowed hard and found her heart was beating wildly again. "You, uh, okay?"

_Oh yeah, I'm way more than okay,_ Jim thought to himself. To her he replied, "I'm fine. Are you done with your ice cream?"

Trixie nodded. "I've eaten all of it, so yeah. Are you?"

He glanced down at his half-eaten cone. "Yeah. I'm not going to finish this."

"Really? But I thought you said you were starved," Trixie teased. "I remember calling you Mart."

Jim grinned at her. "I guess I'm not Mart after all."

_Thank goodness!_ was Trixie's immediate thought. Then she blushed, even though she knew he couldn't hear what she was thinking. "So…now that we're finished eating, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know." Jim glanced out the window. "It's sunny outside. Do you want to take a walk in the park?"

Trixie's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

Jim insisted on paying for their ice cream, and then they left Wimpy's. Trixie started to head for Jim's SUV, but Jim stopped her. "Wait, Trix."

Trixie looked up at him in confusion. "Aren't we going to drive to the park?"

"It's only a five or ten minute walk from here. Do you think you'll be okay walking, since that's what we're planning to do anyway?" Jim asked teasingly.

Trixie tossed her curls. "Of course I'll be okay walking. I just didn't know if you wanted to leave your truck here."

"Aw, it's Sleepyside. What's going to happen to it?" Seeing that Trixie was about to respond, he quickly added, "Don't answer that."

Trixie grinned cheekily at him. "Why not?"

He looked down at her and was struck at how much she reminded him of his mother. Long golden curls with big sapphire blue eyes and a large sunny smile with a smattering of freckles looked up at him. _But even if she reminds me of Mom, my feelings for her are nothing like my feelings for Mom._ "You know very well why not."

"I suppose I do." Trixie glanced around. "Come on, let's start walking. I want to make the most of this afternoon."

As they started walking, Jim took Trixie's hand and fit it snugly into his own. Trixie felt butterflies in her stomach, and then she had the overwhelming urge to drop his hand and slide her arm around his waist. She fought it and instead said, "So do we have any plans for tonight?" As soon as the words came out, she swallowed, realizing too late that it sounded like she was asking about the two of them instead of all the Bob-Whites.

Jim stopped walking and turned to face her, grabbing her other hand so that he held both of them. His voice was husky as he asked, "Do you want us to have plans?"

Trixie's breath caught as she looked up into his suddenly very green eyes. Her heart was beating a thousand miles an hour. She licked her lips, noticing how his gaze immediately went to the action. "I wouldn't mind if we did." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Jim was unable to resist the temptation. He lowered his head and slowly leaned towards her. When she offered no resistance, he moved that final inch and pressed his lips to hers.

She immediately pressed back and pulled her hands from his, sliding her arms around his neck. His hands stole around her waist and tugged her to him. She leaned into him, relishing the fact that she was in his arms.

He could hardly believe how good she tasted. He deepened the kiss, and finally pulled back when he needed air. He looked down at her dazedly, wondering why he hadn't done this sooner.

She stared back at him, her eyes equally glazed over. All she wanted to do was kiss him again and again and again. She barely registered the fact that they were standing on a public sidewalk where anyone could see them. Her breathing ragged, the only thing she could get out was a breathless, "Jim."

His hand moved up to her face of its own accord and brushed an errant curl aside. "Trixie…where did you learn to kiss like that?" was what popped out of his mouth before he could stop it.

She blushed a deep red. "Nowhere, Jim."

He looked surprised. "Are you saying that you've never kissed anyone before?"

She shook her head. "No one except you. Well, I've kissed my father on his cheek, but that doesn't count." She hesitated, not sure if she wanted to know, but then finally decided that she would rather know. "Are you…I mean, have you kissed anyone else before?"

A smile spread across his face. "No one, Trix. No one except for you."

"Really? Not even your mother?" Trixie asked teasingly.

"Well, maybe," Jim relented. He paused. "And I suppose I may have kissed you, Honey, and Di on the cheeks before. But I've never kissed anyone on the lips. You're the first."

"Really, Jim? Are you serious?" Trixie whispered, all traces of teasing gone.

"Yes, I really am, Shamus," Jim replied.

"But why? Didn't you…" Trixie gulped. "Didn't you kiss any of the girls at college?"

Jim shook his head. "No, Trixie. I never wanted to. They never evoked the feelings inside me that you do. Although they tried," he added ruefully.

Trixie looked wary. "Do I even want to know?"

"No, you don't." Jim glanced around. "Ah, Trix, we're on the middle of a sidewalk. We should probably keep walking to the park."

"Yes, we probably should," Trixie agreed. "But we don't have to."

Jim suppressed a groan. "Don't tempt me." He dropped his arms from around her, grabbed her hand, and started walking. "Trix…how did you feel about me kissing you?"

Trixie dropped her gaze, and then slowly raised her eyes to meet his. "I really, really liked it, Jim."

He tightened his hand around hers. "I really liked it too, Trixie." He paused. "You know how I've always said that you're my special girl?"

"Yes."

"Would you want to upgrade that status?" Jim asked. "To, say…girlfriend?"

Trixie's mouth curved into a delighted smile. "Yes, Jim. I would love to be your girlfriend."

"And I would love to be your boyfriend," Jim responded.

"So we're going out? We're a couple?" Trixie asked excitedly.

"Yeah, Trix. We are," Jim replied happily.

"That's good. Because then I can do this whenever I want to." Trixie stopped walking again and spun around, looping her arms around his neck. She stood on her tiptoes and leaned into him until her lips met his, and then she pried his lips apart with her tongue.

Jim's arms immediately went around her waist again and held her against him as they kissed, until they finally drew apart, both of them breathing heavily. "Aw, gosh, Trix, I'm going to have to come home every weekend if we keep this up," he groaned.

"I certainly wouldn't mind if you did," Trixie said slyly.

"I know you wouldn't. That's the problem."

"Oh? I didn't know that I was a problem," Trixie said innocently.

"Trixie…" Jim shook his head and looked at her fondly. "You are something else."

"That's what Mart always tells me," Trixie answered cheerfully. "Of course, he doesn't say it in the same tone of voice that you do."

"I should hope he doesn't," Jim said huskily.

Trixie's heart sped up at the look in his eye. "No…no, he doesn't," she answered breathlessly.

Jim looked like he was about to kiss her again, but then he stopped and groaned. "Trix, we can't be doing this in public. Let's go to the park."

"The park is now the opposite of public?" Trixie asked with raised eyebrows.

Jim shook his head. "No, but we can get more privacy there."

"That's true."

The two walked along, content to stay silent and just enjoy each other's company. When they reached the park, Jim pulled Trixie onto one of the park benches and slipped an arm around her shoulders.

Trixie sighed happily. "Now this is life," she said, leaning into him.

"Yep," Jim agreed, looking down at her.

She looked back up at him, and without warning he leaned down and planted his lips on hers. She was startled for a moment, but soon she was kissing him right back. After a bit they pulled apart, and Trixie rested her head on his shoulder.

"I really hope we remain friends for a long time, Jim," Trixie murmured. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I feel the same way, Shamus," Jim replied, tightening his arm around her. "I don't ever want to let you go."

"Promise me something, Jim," Trixie said. "Promise me that we'll always remain friends, no matter what happens. Please."

Jim looked down at her again with something akin to love in his eyes. He tilted her chin so that she was looking him straight in the eye. "I promise, Trix," he said earnestly. And then he gently, reverently sealed his promise with a kiss.


End file.
